The Peruvian table grape industry continues to expand, as the sector posts its second consecutive rise in exports. However, growth seems to be slowing down, according to the Peruvian Table Grape Producers Association’s (Provid) latest figures.

Shortly after confirming a 10% increase in exports for the 2022-23 marketing year in mid-July, the association now projects a conservative 2% growth for 2023-24.

Provid estimates about 72.8 million 120-pound boxes of grapes to be shipped for the upcoming season.

Though positive, these projections come on the heels of the El Niño phenomenon, which continues to worry growers in the southern hemisphere.

With a mixture of abundant rainfall and warmer climate, the weather event could stall future harvests.

Brazilian consultant Breno Lacourt tells FreshFruitPortal.com that temperatures have risen to about 38°, which is far from normal during this time of the year.

Higher temperatures impact fruit quality, and growers resort to thinning to try and stop the effects.

"And now what we’re seeing is an over-thinning of the vines. This means that some varieties, especially Sweet Globe, have presented fruit with an unacceptable quality level, which means that the bunches are not marketable," Lacourt says.

Lacourt adds that this could lead to big losses, as some regions have seen up to 80% of their fruit affected.